Tough Love
by StangeInterests32
Summary: After his breathtakingly vile rant at the VK's at Family Day, it seems as though Chad Charming's actions may come back to haunt him in the form of one of his parents arriving at Auradon Prep looking for answers to the rumors and testimony that made it back to them. How will this parent feel after learning that their son is acting more like more of a villain than a hero?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So in one of my other Descendant's stories, I used Cinderella in a darker tone of character to progress the story along. While I don't think it's too far out of character for the purposes of THAT story, I can't help but think that in the natural course of events in the movie and beyond, Cinderella might actually be quite level-headed, and far more upset with Chad and with his actions on Family Day. This story is a way for me to kind of clear the air and think about what might have happened after the movie ended.

It takes place just after the coronation, which is why Cinderella still isn't too familiar with the events and actions that occurred on Family Day. I think this works well as a one shot, but there is room for another chapter or two if people would like to read a little more. If you do, let me know in the comments or PM me, because I have been playing around with some ideas.

Please enjoy…

* * *

Fairy Godmother stood nervously at the top of the stairs that led up to school's front doors. Beside her were two royal guards which was standard protocol for all visits by royal heads of state. After a nerve-racking minute, she saw a black limo making its way up the road and into the circle drive in front of the school. Fairy Godmother's nerves took a different turn at the sight of the flags of Charmington waving at front of the car. Which one could it be, she thought, Charming or Cinderella, as visits over anything involving Chad and the school rarely had both of them stop by.

Once the car came to a stop, the guards made their way down to open the door for whichever of Chad's parents had decided to grace Auradon Prep with a visit.

As the door was opened, a clear, though Fairy Godmother knew not glass, high heeled shoe made its way out of the car, followed by a slim looking leg. And it's his mother, she thought. She started walking down the steps to meet the Queen of Charmington.

"Cindy, how are you?" Fairy Godmother asked happily as she and Cinderella hugged each other.

"I'm well," Cinderella responded.

"So, to what do I owe this visit?" Fairy Godmother asked, though she had a small idea what it might be about.

"Well, Chad called me, apparently there was some kind of incident at Family Day?" Fairy Godmother took in a deep breath, her suspicions confirmed, as well as not enjoying the memory of what happened. "Fairy Godmother?" she asked gently.

"Perhaps we should speak in my office," she told the concerned parent.

Once they were in Fairy Godmother's office, Fairy Godmother took a deep breath and stared back at Chad's mother. "So Cindy, before I explain what happened, it might be best if you tell me what you heard."

Cinderella leaned back in her chair and collected her thoughts.

"Chad tells me it all started with an incident involving Maleficent's daughter and Queen Leah. Apparently Maleficent's daughter…"

"The young girl's name is Mal," Fairy Godmother politely interrupted.

"Thank you. Apparently _Mal_ went after Queen Leah during the reception, and she and the Evil Queen's daughter, whose name I did catch; I believe he said it was Evie?"

Fairy Godmother nodded.

"Mal and Evie then confronted him when he came to Queen Leah's defense and used a spell to put him into a coma only you could pull him out of."

I am going to kill Chad Charming, Fairy Godmother thought after hearing what had just come from Cinderella. No, I'll do worse, I'll turn him into a toad, she further mused in her outrage. "Chad told you all that?"

"Most of it. Some it I had to piece together since Audrey was screaming her own version of events in the background and it was making it difficult to listen. But I'm guessing from you're expression that that I heard things a little incorrectly?"

Fairy Godmother hadn't realized that she was even showing an expression. Though, it shouldn't be unheard of her since she basically heard a story meant to make Chad look like both the victim and the hero all at once.

"There was an incident, he got that much right. The rest of what he told you, well…," Fairy Godmother trailed off, feeling the weight of the awkwardness overtaking her.

"I would really appreciate it if you gave me the truth, Fairy Godmother," Cinderella implored her. "After all, good or bad, I'd rather hear it from you since you're practically family."

Fairy Godmother felt herself become just a little more calm at that statement. She was still nervous, but not as much as the second before. Cinderella was right. Ever since that night she'd appeared to help the young girl to help her after her step-mother and step-sisters had destroyed her hopes for the ball, she'd often looked in on her. She watched her go from a sweet and caring young woman to the fair and respected Queen before her today.

As the years went by, and they both became mothers, there was a depending of that relationship. And because of that relationship, she knew she couldn't sugarcoat the truth.

"There was a confrontation between Queen Leah and Maleficent's daughter, Mal," Fairy Godmother began, her voice becoming serious. "Unfortunately, and it amazes me that I have to say this, but Queen Leah instigated it."

Cinderella's eyes became wide at that news. "Are you certain?"

Fairy Godmother nodded.

"Ben was with his father and one of Mal's friends, Jay, playing croquet. Belle, surprisingly, or not, now that I think about it," she laughed at the thought, "was talking with Evie. And if their body language was anything to go on, they were talking about hair and make-up."

"That sounds like Belle," Cinderella laughed.

Fairy Godmother smiled warmly at that. "Yes, well, while all that was going on, Mal was standing off on her own, lost in her own thoughts, or enjoying the scenery, I don't really know, but Queen Leah approached her to introduce herself."

"Did she know who Mal was when she went up to her?"

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "Leah told me she saw Mal standing alone and just wanted to speak with her, you know, say hello. Even Mal says those first few words were cordial. Then Audrey arrived, referenced what happened to them…"

"The hundred year sleep," Cinderella clarified.

"Yes, that. That's when Leah saw the resemblance between Mal and her mother, and actually assumed that Mal was Maleficent. Even after Ben tried to calm her down, it was clear she couldn't handle the confrontation. She began telling Mal about what her mother's curse had done to her, how it made her have to miss seeing Aurora grow up, and so on."

"That's terrible," Cinderella said. "Not that Queen Leah doesn't have a right to be angry, but that young girl had nothing to with any of that."

"Yet she still tried to apologize for it," Fairy Godmother revealed, an appreciative grin on her face at the thought. She remembered the look on Mal's face as she started to say she was sorry. There was real remorse, real empathy – a real sense of wanting to try and atone for something that wasn't even her fault in the slightest. But that moment wouldn't be allowed to happen thanks to one person.

"However, that's where Chad comes into play," Fairy Godmother continued. At that statement Cinderella sat up straighter, her complete attention ready for whatever was about to be said. "Just as Mal was starting to apologize, Chad stepped in, cut Mal off, and that's when the problems began. Chad told Mal to stay away from Queen Leah, and then went off on this tirade about the Villain Children, saying how because of how their parents raised them that they knew nothing of kindness or fair play."

Cinderella gripped the bridge of her nose in an effort to not lose control at what she'd just been told. Fairy Godmother wanted to stop there, but she knew she needed to continue. After all, Cinderella had asked for the whole story.

"He then accused Mal of stealing Ben away from Audrey," Fairy Godmother continued.

"A mother could only hope for that to happen," Cinderella said without thinking. Unlike most, Cinderella was one of a few people who were able to see past Audrey's carefully acted prim and proper exterior and realize what kind of superficial, stuck-up teenage brat was underneath. She only hoped that Chad saw past it eventually and moved on to kinder, more emotionally mature girls.

"Yes well…," Fairy Godmother continued awkwardly, "…moving on. He then accused Mal's friend Jay of getting enjoyment from hurting people. And then he moved on to Evie, who in my opinion, got the worst of his ire."

"Oh God," she muttered, mentally preparing herself for the news.

"He proclaimed her, and in a tone that I can only describe as purely disdainful, and I'm quoting here, 'nothing but a gold digger and a cheater'."

Cinderella began to rub her forehead with her right hand while letting out a loud groan. What kind of person is my son, she thought. "I didn't know he could be that cruel," she said, her voice wavering as she fought back tears at the thought of her son, her baby boy, acting like…well she couldn't decide between Anastasia or Drizella.

"Unfortunately, I'm not finished, it gets worse," Fairy Godmother said gently, but conveying how serious the next part would be.

"How could it get worse?" Cinderella asked, already sounding close to heartbroken.

"Evie has a small piece of her mother's magic mirror. While not as powerful as the whole mirror, her piece can answer questions posed to it. And I want you to remember, while it may harness dark magic, the mirror does not lie. After Chad's insult she asked it who the biggest jerk in the land was, and…Chad's face appeared. Not believing it, he proceeded to slap away her arm."

"He…he put his hands on a girl?"

Fairy Godmother nodded sadly. "With enough force to knock her off balance. Jay stepped in to defend her, they started pushing at each other, and, I'm assuming to break them apart, Evie did spray him with some kind of sleep potion, though it wore off thirty seconds later on its own."

Fairy Godmother paused and let Cinderella absorb the news. She could see it in her friend's face, she was far different now than when she first arrived. Gone was the happy, glowing face of the woman who always tried to see the bright side of things, replaced by a woman who was trying to process the shocking revelations about a person she thought she knew everything about. Finally after a moment she spoke.

"I won't say much about the confrontation with…Jay, was it?" Fairy Godmother nodded. "After all, if someone treated a girl like that in front of him, I would hope that Chad would come to her defense as well. But, there is no defense I can say to justify him forcefully putting his hands on a girl, no matter what she'd said or done. Please tell me he was punished."

"Not yet," Fairy Godmother said with a shake of her head. Cinderella just looked at her in disbelief. "I was actually just about to call you and Charming to discuss the incident as well as the consequences."

"Whatever punishments need to happen here at school, I'll leave that entirely to you," Cinderella told Fairy Godmother. "I'll make sure Charming agrees with it and that Chad abides by it."

"Thank you," Fairy Godmother said softly. "I'm assuming then that you and Charming will be handling any additional consequences?"

"Most definitely," Cinderella answered, her voice flat, but with a resolve that made Fairy Godmother glad she was not Chad Charming.


	2. Chapter 2

Chad walked into the locker room, his mind already forgetting the school day and beginning to concentrate on tourney practice. He spotted Jay on one of the benches on the other side of the locker room. Freaking VK, he thought. He just couldn't understand how everyone was so trusting of Jay. One good deed and suddenly everyone forgets where he's from and who his father is.

Doing his best to put that thought out of his mind, he opened his locker and threw his back-pack in. He started changing out of his school clothes and into his practice uniform. He, and everyone else on the team, we're nearly dressed out when Carlos came running into the locker room, bumping into one of the other players as he tried to stop himself. Always late aren't you kid, Chad thought with a small smirk. While Carlos frantically started changing Chad and the rest of the team started heading out.

"Chad," he heard the coach call out as he made his way out onto the field.

"Yeah, Coach," Chad said as he walked over.

"You need to head to Fairy Godmother's office," Coach Jenkins instructed him as he handed him a note requesting his presence.

"For?"

Coach shrugged. "Don't know, Boss Lady just sent the request. So head on over."

Chad groaned at the request but did as the Coach told him. This better be worth my time, he thought as he started making his way over toward the administration building. Once he made it over he walked into Fairy Godmother's office and stopped in his tracks the second he passed the door.

"Mom?"

The surprise was evident in his eyes as was the confusion in his voice.

"Hello, Chad," Cinderella smiled at him.

"Please come in, Chad," Fairy Godmother told him from behind her desk. Chad moved further into the office and took at seat next to his mother in front of Fairy Godmother's desk. "Do you have an idea why I called you in here today?"

Chad shook his head. "Not a clue."

"It involves the events of Family Day," Cinderella told her son.

Chad tensed up in his chair for a second. This is alright, he told himself, I told her what happened. I'm not in trouble.

"I figured since nothing had occurred since then that the whole thing was being forgotten," he said.

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "I was just waiting to speak with your mother."

"But I told her what went down."

"Did you really think I wouldn't come down here to talk to Fairy Godmother about what happened?" Cinderella asked him.

"Well I _was_ pretty clear about what happened?" Chad answered her.

"Clear? I had to struggle to hear your voice over Audrey's shrieking," Cinderella said. "And even if you were _clear_ about what happened, I'd have still come down here," Cinderella explained to him. "And I'm glad I did because imagine my surprise when your version of events, and Fairy Godmother's version we're like night and day."

Damn it, Chad thought.

"J-just what did you hear?" Chad asked nervously.

"I informed your mother about the actual way things went down," Fairy Godmother said.

"About how Mal went after Queen Leah?" he attempted.

"About how thanks to Audrey, Queen Leah's mistaken identification led to an unfortunate verbal barrage on her part," Fairy Godmother corrected him.

"Which was apparently then followed up by xenophobic tirade by you," Cinderella scolded.

"Mom, I can explain."

"Save it," Cinderella stopped him. "I'll give you that chance in a moment. Right now, you're going to accept your consequences, starting with those here at school."

"But –"

Cinderella held up a finger and Chad quieted down and turned toward Fairy Godmother.

Fairy leaned into her desk, her hands clasped on top of it. She cleared her throat and then began. "It upsets me when one of my students acts the way you did that day, Chad. Up until your interference, I probably could've calmed the entire situation down, and gotten Queen Leah away from Mal and helped her deal with the altercation. But your actions threw all that out the window."

"I was coming to –"

"You were coming to no one's defense," she interrupted. "You saw an opportunity to let your views be heard and you took it. Not to mention that you escalated the situation when you became physical with Evie." Chad looked like he was going to speak up, but Fairy Godmother gave him a look that said he was to remain quiet.

"So, for your actions that day, I am handing down the following punishments: you are suspended from the tourney team for the next three games."

"Three?" Chad shouted.

Fairy Godmother nodded. "One for each of the students you insulted."

"You can't take me off the team."

"Yes, I can. And if you don't lower your voice toward me, I'll make it all the games remaining in the season." Chad glared at her and looked like he was about to speak. "Please try me," she told him sternly before he could. One look at her steeled expression and Chad backed down.

"In continuance; you will perform services to the school in one of its departments."

"Can you define that for him?" Cinderella asked.

"Kitchen duty. Grounds keeping duty. Janitorial duty. Something along those lines for the next three weeks. And the department you will perform those services for will be decided upon…by Mal, Jay, and Evie."

Chad's jaw dropped. "You're going to let those three decide?" Fairy Godmother nodded.

"I'll be speaking with them as soon as I leave this office. Which will actually be right now. Your mother wants to speak with you privately. Cindy," Fairy Godmother deferred as she got up.

"Thank you," Cinderella said as she and Chad watched Fairy Godmother leave. She then turned her chair to face Chad, motioning for him to do the same. Reluctantly, he did so.

"Are you really going to let her do all that to me?"

"Every bit of it," Cinderella answered him. She then grew silent and just looked at her son. "How could you behave like that?"

"I told you what happened. Just because Fairy Godmother doesn't want to go after Ben's girlfriend and her friends doesn't mean I'm lying," Chad said. He hoped that it might still be possible to sway his mother to his side. After all, she was her son and they were dealing the children of villains.

"It's not just her word I'm taking. Someone your age should know, someone always has their phone out, recording everything," she said.

Chad's eyes widened at his mother's revelation. This was news to him. He was sure that if someone had recorded it, he would've seen the footage by now. He started to shake his head.

"No, by now the video –"

"Fairy Godmother confiscated the phone. As far as she knows it's the only one, everyone else was too shocked to record," Cinderella told him. Chad's face dropped as he realized that his mother knew everything that has happened that day before he even entered the office.

"Mom…I can…," he stammered.

"Do you know how embarrassing it was to hear Fairy Godmother tell me how you acted that day? Do you know how disappointing it was to watch that video and…," Cinderella trailed off, her voice breaking and tears filing her eyes. "And see the little boy that I raised acting so, so vile and…hateful."

"Mom," Chad said in discomfort.

"Why? Just tell me why?"

"They don't belong here? Deep down, I know I'm not wrong," he answered. He leaned in toward his mother as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him. "You can't be from where they're from, and more importantly, be raised by who they were raised by, and not be bad all the way down to your bones."

"They can't help where they're from, Chad. After all, their parents were forced there."

"They were still raised by villains," he countered.

"So that's your gauge for them being evil? Who they were raised by?" Chad nodded. "And you leave no room for any kind of benefit of the doubt?" Chad nodded slowly. "So that means I'm evil."

"What? No," Chad told his mother as if she'd lost her mind. "You're…you're Cinderella, you're famous for your kindness."

"Even so, by your criteria, I'm evil – all the way down to my bones – because you seem to forget who raised me." Chad tried to speak, but his mouth just hung open. "It is entirely possible to be raised by a villain and still be a good person. I am. Snow White is; and she was raised by the same person who raised one of the people you lashed out against. Anything to say now?" she questioned when Chad just remained sitting silently. "I'll let you reassess your views on the villain children on your own for now, because right now, I have a more pressing question for you: who the hell do you think you are to hit that girl Evie?"

Chad's head shot up and his face was lit up with shock. He once again started to speak this time, actual stutters coming out.

"B-but…but it was just her hand," he finally managed to squeak out.

"I don't care," Cinderella hissed at him. "You never place your hands on girl, do you understand me? _Never_. Your father and I did not raise to do something like that. Everything else you did that day was just embarrassing, to me and your father, and especially yourself, but _that_ …that was just infuriating. Have you felt guilty at all over that?"

Chad remained quiet.

"Oh God," Cinderella groaned dejectedly.

During this conversation, Chad watched his mother run the gamut of emotions from sadness, to anger, to humiliation, it was this last one that finally broke him. As he sat there in that chair, he saw in his mother's eyes, and written all over her face, something he'd never seen before. An emotion she'd never looked at him with before in his entire life:

Shame.

"Mom, I…," he tried to say, but he couldn't find any words that would make her feel better. "What do you want me to say?"

"There's nothing to say, Chad," she lamented. "Because your actions spoke volumes more than anything you could say."

Chad and Cinderella sat quietly. Chad was feeling guilt over this whole thing for the first time. Mostly because of what it was doing to his mother. None of this would be happening if those four hadn't been brought over, he thought. I'd be fine, and Mom wouldn't be sitting there completely heartbroken.

"What's going to happen now?" he finally asked.

"Now _I_ have to punish you," she answered him.

"You mean what Fairy Godmother is doing isn't enough?"

"Those consequences are school related. You still have your father and I to answer to. And believe me, you will deal with him at some point, because he was livid after I told him all this. And when he saw the video, and what you did to Evie, I thought he might explode with anger."

Chad rubbed his temples at the sound of that. Great, he thought, just what I need, Dad going off on one of _his_ tirades.

"For starters, no electronics." Chad's eyes widened at his mother's reveal. "Oh yeah; no phone, no tablet, no television. If it has a screen, voice interaction, a button…a plug, it will be coming out of your room for the next three months."

"Three? Let me guess, one for each of them?" Chad asked insolently.

Cinderella nodded. "Also, you will not be going out for a while. For the next the months, you will wake up, go to class, go back to your room. When you're allowed back on the tourney team, you may go attend that as well."

"How generous."

"For _that_ , now that part of your punishment is six months. Want to try for more?" Chad finally decided it was time to just remain quiet. "The only social gathering you can attend are school functions with my or your father's permission. And, before you ask, school dances don't count."

Chad groaned and leaned back into his chair. I can't believe this, he thought. Those three are costing me everything.

"And finally, no girlfriend. Until further notice, you are not allowed to see or talk to Audrey."

"What?! Now that you can't do," he raised his voice.

"Normally you'd be right. But as she seems to be the instigator for all this, she's an influence you don't need at the moment."

"What does Dad have to say about these restrictions?"

"Completely on board. In fact, the Audrey part was his idea. All that aside, we've now come to the part I know you're going to hate." Chad just looked at his mother. What could be worse that everything else so far, he thought. "Your father and I expect you to apologize to all three of them."

Chad almost leapt from his chair. "What? You actually expect me to apologize?" Chad chuckled. Then he shook his head. "No. You can ground me for the rest of my life, take away everything I own, whatever; but I am _never_ doing that," he ranted as he pushed himself away from his chair and stormed out of Fairy Godmother's office.

Cinderella stayed seated, too shocked to do anything. Why is he so angry? Why does he hate them so much, she thought. As she tried to think of a reason, any reason, for his behavior, she kept coming up empty. Before long, thinking about his behavior, and why he was behaving so unlike himself, she found herself crying all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

"I hope I'm doing the right thing," Cinderella told Fairy Godmother as they stood in one of the formal dining rooms inside Auradon Prep.

"Don't second guess yourself on this Cindy," Fairy Godmother told her friend as they watched the finishing touches being put on the table that she had requested.

"I just feel like I'm enabling Chad in some way by doing this."

"By apologizing?" Fairy Godmother asked in surprise. "You're not apologizing for Chad, he still needs to apologize on his own. You're apologizing for what they went through because of him, and there's nothing wrong with that. You're also letting them know that Chad does not speak for you or his father."

The school's event staff were finishing smoothing out the table cloths, placing the table arrangements as well center pieces as the two women watched. A moment later, one of the staff came and whispered in Fairy Godmother's ear.

"They're here," she told Cinderella. Cinderella took a deep breath. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay for this?"

Cinderella shook her head. "No, I need to do this myself."

Fairy Godmother nodded. "Let me know if you need anything," she told her friend. Cinderella mouthed a thank you and watched as Fairy Godmother made her way to the door. As she was about to make it out of the threshold Mal, Jay, and Evie began walking in. "Children," she greeted them as they passed each other. "Doing well I hope?"

"Yes, Fairy Godmother," Evie said.

"Yes, ma'am," Mal answered.

Jay just nodded.

"Have a good dinner," she told them with a smile.

The three VKs entered the dining room, all of them shocked to see Chad's mother standing in the room.

"Hello," Cinderella said as the three teens stood in front of her. "Please sit," she motioned toward the table. The three of them sat down and it was immediately clear to Cinderella they were nervous. "You're probably wondering why I asked to speak with all of you," she told them as she took her own seat.

"And why Carlos isn't here," Mal said offhandedly without thinking.

"Mal," Evie chastised.

Cinderella held up her hand. "No, its okay, that's a valid point," she said to the blue-haired girl. "I asked Fairy Godmother to let me speak with the students that Chad bullied. And, much to her own surprise, she doesn't recall him ever going after him."

Mal, Evie, and Jay looked amongst themselves, each one trying to remember an incident, any incident, where Chad had gone after the youngest VK, and not one of them could muster up an occurrence.

"Jay, has Carlos ever…?" Mal asked.

Jay shook his head.

"E?"

"Nope," Evie answered.

"So he focuses on you three?" Cinderella inquired. All three of them nodded. "I am so sorry for that," she told them.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Evie spoke up, "Chad should be the one doing that, not you."

Cinderella smiled at the term of respect the young girl used. It was more than Chad used when other royals were around. "I know that, dear, and believe me, I am not apologizing _for_ him. I've informed him that he needs to apologize to all of you. But I, and his father, felt like we should let you know that we feel horrible about what's happened."

The three of them looked at Chad's mother with apprehension. They wanted to believe that she was there for the reason she said she was. But each one was reasoning that Chad's behavior had to come from somewhere. After all, everyone assumed that _they_ were evil simply because of who their parents were. But then, maybe not at the same time, each realized that they were doing to Cinderella what everyone else, especially her son, does to them.

"Are you really upset over what he did?" Mal asked.

"I am," Cinderella replied. "Believe me, I had no idea that Chad was capable of such actions. And I especially didn't know he could ever do what he did to you," she added, her last remark directed at Evie. "You weren't hurt when he did that were you?"

Evie shook her head. "Caught off guard," she told her. "He's stronger than he looks."

"If it helps at all, Fairy Godmother has punished him in her authority here at school, and I've punished him myself as well."

"It does…a little," Evie said.

"Not to sound…unappreciative for you wanting to tell us all this, but you didn't need to go through the trouble of arranging a dinner to do it," Mal said.

"Well, I wanted to talk to all of you. To get to know you. And I find talking over a meal tends to help with that."

With those words, the staff began bringing out the first course. Soon, to their own surprise, the three VKs began to talk with Chad's mother. At first it was just how they liked living in Auradon, if they'd made any friends; things like that. Eventually, the topic of the Isle did come up, specifically a certain subject.

"Did any of you all know some of my relatives?" Cinderella asked tentatively.

The three of them nodded.

"How were…? Have they…?" she struggled to find the right question.

"Do they still act the same?" Mal tried. Cinderella nodded. "Lady Tremaine lives up to the stories of how mean she was."

"Oh yeah," Jay said. "Not a big fan of yours," he added.

"I would suspect she wasn't," Cinderella replied. "What about my step-sisters?"

"Drizella is just plain mean," Evie blurted out. "Maybe even more than her mother."

"That would mean she's worse than before she was placed on the Isle," Cinderella muttered. "What about Anastasia?"

"Nowhere near as bad as her mother or Drizella," Mal revealed to her.

"Really?"

Mal, Jay, and Evie nodded.

"She's…still a little on the mean side, but mostly only when someone tries to do something to her first. Personally, I think she's the _nice_ one," Jay told her.

"Or when she sees someone messing with Anthony or Dizzy," Mal said to Jay.

"Anthony and Dizzy? _Her_ children?" Cinderella prodded.

"Anthony's hers. Dizzy is Drizella's," Evie answered.

"And what are they like?"

"Well…," Mal trailed off after deciding that maybe it wasn't best to make comparisons.

" _Well_ what?"

"Anthony," Evie clarified. "He acts like just a little bit worse than Chad. At least from the experiences we've had with Chad."

They watched Cinderella look like she'd been kicked in the stomach. It was obvious that this wasn't news that was pleasing to hear. In fact, the sad look on her face made them feel sorry for her. It was a strange feeling for them. They never actually thought there'd come a day when they'd want to comfort one of Auradon's royals.

"And what about, _Dizzy_ I believe you said her name was?"

"Didn't really know her that well," Jay shrugged. But Cinderella watched as Mal and Evie practically beamed smiles.

"Dizzy is just plain adorable," Evie gushed.

"Really?" Cinderella smiled, glad to hear something good about at least one child in this family of hers.

"Yeah, and she totally idolizes Evie," Mal agreed. "Just imagine all this," Mal said, waving her hands around Evie's clothes, "but with splashes of different colors of splattered paint to break up all the blue, some pig tails, and thick-rimmed glasses all on a smiley ten year old."

Cinderella couldn't help but begin to laugh at the sight she was picturing in her own mind. Mal's description did make the girl completely adorable. "Is she…"

Evie shook her head. "She's actually one of the nicest little girls on the Isle. That's probably why me and Mal watched out for her. It was refreshing to see someone who didn't _want_ to be bad."

"What did Drizella think about that?"

"Always tried to make her meaner, but, well, Anastasia kept coming to her defense. She kept telling Drizella to let the girl be herself," Evie answered. "Personally, I think she just did it because it made Dizzy visit a lot to get away from her mother and grandmother, and…"

"Ana always did want a daughter," Cinderella finished, surprising herself by calling Anastasia, Ana. It was a name she rarely used, mostly in the rare times when Anastasia was away from her sister and mother, and was actually _nice_. "

"That explains a lot," Evie said. Cinderella looked at her puzzled. "Whenever I'd spend time with Dizzy when she was at Anastasia's house, Anastasia was… _maternal_ I think would be the best word."

"Really?" Cinderella was shocked.

Evie nodded. "I always used to hear her say that Dizzy didn't belong on the Isle and if she could, she'd get her off it."

Cinderella tried to remain stoic, but that news was refreshing. Growing up, she always knew her sisters were mean-spirited, but Drizella was the one that she specifically thought was actually evil. Just like her mother. But Anastasia, she always seemed to have a limit. Maybe it was a sense of remorse, or a whispering of conscience, but she was the one who was able to back off when things got too bad for Cinderella. And apparently, though these children in front of her didn't understand, becoming a mother had agreed with her, and possibly mellowed her somewhat.

She was about to inquire further about her step-family when Mal, Jay, and Evie's phones all started sounding at once. They all checked their message and Cinderella watched as all three acquired looks of shock and horror.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"It's Carlos and Jane," Mal answered, "they're in the school infirmary."

* * *

Mal, Evie, and Jay, along with Cinderella rushed into the nurse's office. Upon entering, they saw Carlos sitting on one of the beds, his back against the wall, one leg propped up on the bed, the other on the floor. In his left hand was an ice pack that he was holding over his left eye and cheek. Seated next to him on the bed was Jane, holding a smaller ice pack over her right wrist. And next to the medical bed, sitting on a chair that was braced against the wall was…

Chad.

"What did you do, Chad?" Mal demanded as she saw him. Chad just turned up his nose at the purple-haired girl. "And to Jane, too?"

Evie darted over to Carlos and immediately, though gently, moved the ice pack to see damage. "Oh my God," she gasped as she saw the size of the black eye forming on his face. And now, with the ice pack removed, she could also see that he had a bloodied lip.

When Jay saw the state his friend was in, he charged toward Chad. Unlike with Mal, Chad got out of his seat and readied himself for an altercation. Mal moved out of the way while Jane and Evie let out slight screams. Cinderella yelled for Jay to stop, but her plea went unheeded.

"I'm gonna pound you into next week," Jay growled as he grabbed Chad by the cafeteria work shirt he had on. Chad pushed against him, trying to create some distance.

"Screw you," he yelled to Jay.

"Chad!" Cinderella cried out.

"Stop it! Everybody," Jane shouted as she rushed from the bed and in between Jay and Chad. "Chad didn't do this."

The words caught everyone off guard. Mal and Evie looked between Chad and Carlos. Jay, still ready to fight Chad, looked over at the youngest VK. Carlos nodded.

"Did you scare them into saying that?" Evie asked.

"Seriously?" Chad let out. "Jane tells you I didn't do it. Carlos says I didn't do it. And you still think I'm guilty?" The three older VKs glared at him. "What about you, Mom?"

Cinderella wanted to say something, but her son's recent behavior came to mind.

"Not even you believe me?" Chad asked sadly.

"It's no secret that you don't like the Isle children," she told him.

"Them," he told her, waving his finger at Mal, Jay, and Evie. "I don't like _them_. Carlos I'm fine with. In fact, he's the only one of you I can stand," he said toward the VKs. "You know what, I don't need this," he huffed as he started making his way out of the office.

As he tried to pass his mother, he was stopped by her hand on his chest. "What happened?"

He breathed a sigh of resignation and started talking. "I was walking to the dining hall to do my hours for the day when I heard Jane screaming my name. I look around and find her on the grass, watching as two guys are beating on Carlos."

"Two?" Evie asked Carlos, fear etched on her face. Carlos nodded.

"So I ran over and pulled them off him," Chad added.

"Who was it?" Mal asked.

Carlos didn't look like he was anxious to speak.

"Tell them or I will," Jane said.

"Calvin and Bryan," Carlos told them.

"From the team?" Jay asked. Carlos nodded. Chad nodded his confirmation. "Why?"

"They're pissed…uh, angry," Chad started, immediately picking his words better when his mother shot him a look. "They're angry about last week's loss. They've been complaining all week that if I'd been there to help out, we could've won."

"So they took it out on Carlos?" Mal asked.

"Well they're not gonna try and fight Jay," Chad chuckled. Everyone looked at him in derision. "What? They're not."

"And what about you, Jane?" Cinderella asked. "How'd you hurt your wrist?"

"When Calvin and Bryan knocked me out of the way, I tried to break my fall using my hands. I think I sprained it."

Cinderella made her way to Jane's side and asked to look at her wrist. Jane took off the ice pack, revealing some swelling and a small cut, probably from a rock. She tapped it as gently as she could, feeling bad as she watched Jane wince in pain. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the young girl. Jane just nodded.

Cinderella then walked over to Carlos and knelt over to look him over. She brushed some hair out of his face to see the black eye better. "What did the nurse say about this?"

"It's a black eye, just needs to heal on its own. Same with the lip," Carlos answered.

"Count yourself lucky," Jane added. "Chad got there right when they got you onto the ground. Who knows how hurt you'd be if he hadn't chased them off."

The three older VKs looked over at Chad, actually surprised to hear someone describing Chad as the hero of the story considering of their own was involved.

"Does your mother know about this?" Cinderella asked Jane as she sat at the foot of the bed.

She nodded yes. "She was angrier than I've ever seen her. She's actually off finding the two who did this."

"Does she know that Chad helped?"

"She was surprised, but glad," Jane said, smiling up at Chad like the big brother she always viewed him as. "Thank you for saving my boyfriend."

Cinderella smiled at Jane's statement, though it was a little forced. She was glad that Jane was growing up and, despite knowing that Fairy Godmother was probably wishing it was further down the line, starting to date. But part of her was heartbroken at seeing Jane dating someone that wasn't Chad.

She'd never told anyone, but she always secretly hoped that one day Jane would look at Chad the way she was looking at Carlos. And that maybe, one day, maybe Chad would realize what a smart, caring, and beautiful girl Jane really was. Then she'd get the daughter-in-law she always wanted. That was why since Jane was little she was secretly grooming her; teaching the girl how to walk, talk, and act like a queen.

But as she looked at the way her son and Jane looked and regarded each other, she knew that right now, the only thing they'd ever be to each other was brother and sister.

"Oh, Your Majesty," the nurse said as she walked back into the office.

"Hello," she told the nurse. She noticed that the nurse was holding a tray with two small pill cups and two glasses of water. "Are those for…?"

"Yes," she answered. "Carlos, I was able to get in touch with Queen Belle and she said it was okay to give you some pain killers. She's also on her way down here to check on you. Jane, the same for you, and your mother said you could leave with Queen Belle, too."

Carlos and Jane nodded.

"Until then, you should get some rest." The nurse then looked at the amount of people in her office. "That means that I do need to ask all you please step outside."

"Alright, you heard the nurse," Cinderella said, going to mom mode. "Out, so he can rest. Chad, wait for me outside."

The four older teens began shuffling out until was just Cinderella, Jane, and Carlos. Cinderella looked over at Jane.

"Is he a good boyfriend?"

Jane blushed, but nodded yes enthusiastically.

"Treats you good?"

"Yes," Jane answered.

"He better," they heard Chad yell from the hallway.

Cinderella smiled at that statement. He is always looking out for this girl, she thought. "I'm guessing the fact that Chad doesn't bully Carlos has something to do with you?"

"I might have asked him to back off him," Jane confirmed for the woman she considered a second mother.

"And Chad will do anything his little sister asks him to," Cinderella said. Jane nodded happily, a huge smile on her face. Cinderella got up and Jane came over and hugged her. She then looked at Carlos. "Please feel better, and take care of her," she told him.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Chad and Cinderella were sitting on a bench on the school's grounds. Fairy Godmother had decided to let Chad out of his hours for the day, counting them as done as a reward for helping Carlos and Jane. Upon finding out that he'd skipped dinner, Cinderella said she'd take him out to get something, but told him that she wanted to speak with him first. As they sat, quietly at first, Chad was wondering if he was in trouble again.

"You don't dislike the villain children," Cinderella told her son. He turned and looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "You don't," she reiterated. "At least not the way you claim to."

"Pretty sure I do," Chad replied.

"No, you don't. If you did, you wouldn't have helped Carlos."

Chad turned away from his mother, looking at the grass and trees. "He's not as bad as the rest of them."

"And you know that how? You've made it quite clear that you don't want to know anything about them, so I doubt you hang out with him."

"Jane might've mentioned a few things when I talked to her about him," he said while kicking at some loose gravel with his shoe.

"She talked about him to you?"

"I wanted to make sure that –"

"He wasn't mistreating her?" Chad nodded. "And what did she say about him?"

"That he was harmless, and nothing like his mother. That unlike the other three, he had it the worst when it came to parents." He turned toward his mother, seeing a questioning look on her face. "His mother never really treated him like a son. She made him do everything, the cooking, the cleaning, organizing her furs. Basically he was a slave. Like you were with your step-mother."

And that's why Chad is easy on him, Cinderella thought. It's not so much Carlos, but who Carlos reminds him of.

"So because he reminds you of me, you've what, decided that he's okay to have around?" Chad shrugged. "But what about the others? Just because they weren't treated like slaves doesn't mean their bad."

"No one thought your step-mother, Anastasia, and Drizella were bad either, but we all know otherwise now."

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and then let the air out slowly. I can't believe I'm about to tell her this, he thought.

"You wanted to know why I treat them the way I do?" Cinderella nodded. "Because finding that out about Carlos…like you said, it reminded me of you. So when I look at those three, and think that maybe they bossed him around too, just because they were older, well…it makes me wonder just how bad you had it. And it makes me so angry to think about anyone treating you like that."

Cinderella almost started crying at the sound of her son finally revealing where all his anger was coming from. She'd never thought that her upbringing had this much of an effect on him. She gently grabbed Chad by the chin and turned his face toward her.

"Mal, Jay, and Evie are not your grandmother. And they are certainly not your aunts. They're just some hurt children who grew up in the worst possible circumstances, and are now trying to make use of a second chance they were given. But you're not making it any easier."

"No one said I had to," he said.

"That's true. But Honey, what you're not realizing, is that by acting this way towards them – bullying them, being so cruel to them because you say they remind you of my family – _you're_ the one acting like your aunts."

Chad's head snapped in his mother's direction. "I am _nothing_ like them," he practically spat at her.

"Your actions are saying differently. And they're breaking my heart, Chad."

Chad opened his mouth, but he couldn't find anything to say. Instead he just looked back out at the tree line. He felt his mother put her arm around him, pulling him to her.

"I'm not saying you have to like them, I'd never make you like anybody. But this near blind hatred of them, just for where they're from, and because of who they remind you of, it's not good for any of you. Look what's happened already. You're in trouble – though justifiably – and because of some inspired, misplaced _loyalty_ , Jane, and a boy that had nothing to do with what started all this are now hurt. It has to stop. _You_ can stop this."

Chad leaned his head down on his mother's shoulder. He knew that he wasn't living up to the image she held of him, but he couldn't help himself. Just the sight of those three, and the stories he'd heard growing up came flooding to mind, and suddenly he found himself back in time, as a scared and angry child, wishing he could protect her.

He felt his eyes watering at the thought of her last statement and what it meant. He hated himself at the moment at the thought of what he was probably putting her through. "I'm sorry Mom."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Well, we've reached the end of this story. I was surprised by how many people loved this story, especially when you consider that Chard Charming isn't one of the more liked Descendants characters. But then again, I firmly believe that people do like to see some characters redeem themselves, and I hope that what I've done here redeems Chad, even if it is just here on this site.

I appreciate everyone who read this and commented. It made writing this easier and more fun.

Please enjoy.

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Drizella snarled as she looked across the table at her step-sister.

It had been two weeks since she'd spoken with the four villain children, and Cinderella couldn't get the conversation out of her head. Hearing how they'd grown up had made her feel terrible. The mother in her couldn't believe that anyone could subject their children to the things they'd been exposed to. It was almost unthinkable to her that any parent could willingly force their children to lie, cheat, steal, and maybe worse. But what hurt the most was listening as they told her how her own step-sister was upset, and embarrassed, that her own daughter wasn't, for lack of a better term, a little terror.

So, after a week and a half of sleepless nights where she found herself racking her brain on how to help her niece, she went to King Ben, and pleaded with him to bring Dizzy over from the Isle. And while he sympathized with her, he reminded her that for someone Dizzy's age, it wasn't as simple as him ordering it. With Mal and her friends, they were old enough that they only needed a new guardian while here in Auradon. His own parents had stepped up and filled that role, so they were allowed to be on their own at the school.

"Since she's only ten, Dizzy requires someone to stay with since she'll be attending a school where she'll have to go home every day," he explained. "That means that her mother has to sign off on this person."

"So, if I could get Drizella to sign over guardianship to say…myself, I could bring her to Auradon?"

Ben nodded.

So, after some careful arrangements, especially with security, Cinderella found herself sitting in Anastasia's dining room with her, Drizella, and her step-mother across the table from her.

"I would like you to allow me to bring Dizzy to Auradon," Cinderella said, a repeat of her original request.

"That crown must have made you either crazy or stupid – or stupider," Drizella spat, her glare shooting daggers. "What? Your think you can just come over from your castle and take my kid?"

Cinderella shook her head. "I have no intention of _taking_ her. I'm asking you to let me give her a better life than this island."

"And why would I let my daughter do that?" Lady Tremaine asked much more coolly than her eldest daughter. "After all, this island is good enough for us."

"You earned your sentence here, that girl didn't," Cinderella replied.

"Not totally wrong," Anastasia said without much thought. Lady Tremaine glared at her youngest. "What? It's not like _I_ turned her into the maid," she chuckled.

"Oh shut up," Drizella barked at her sister. Suddenly, Drizella smiled, a crooked tooth smile that made Cinderella very uncomfortable. "While we're on the subject of taking children, will you be taking Anthony along?"

"Anthony's older…almost an adult."

"Huh, that's what I thought. You want _my_ kid, but to hell with Ana's," Drizella gloated.

"That's not true, but if what I've heard is true –"

"And just what have you heard?" Lady Tremaine questioned.

"Probably that Anthony is a stuck up brat," Anastasia cut in. Drizella and Lady Tremaine turned toward her. "Don't look at me like that. I know what I have. Anthony lies, cheats, steals, and uses his looks and charm to string along any number of girls. Sound familiar… _Cindy_?" Cinderella looked at Anastasia in compete shock. "Your son's exploits make the news. I especially loved the part about him seeing 15 girls at once and making them do his homework. Bang up job, there."

Cinderella almost wanted to get up and leave. But she knew if she did, that little girl would be in much worse shape.

"Which is why she's not here for Anthony. No one needs two problem children on their hands," Anastasia continued. "Unlike your daughter, who's as sweet as the Queen here."

"She can't take her," Drizella said.

"Why not?" Anastasia prodded. "Dizzy obviously doesn't have a mean bone in her body, despite your best efforts. You keep her here, she'll get eaten alive. At least with her, Dizzy will get what Mother always ranted we should have – the finest and the best."

Cinderella watched as her youngest step-sister engaged in a stare down with her older sister and mother.

"Still trying to be Dizzy's mother are you?" Drizella asked.

"Well someone should be. Besides, she's here with me more than she's with you because at least I don't force her to be something she's not."

Drizella stood up and walked over to Anastasia. She leaned down until there were nose to nose.

"Fine, you can make the decision, but when this backfires, just wait to see what I do to you," Drizella threatened. "Come, Mother."

Lady Tremaine rose from her chair. "And you wonder why I always favored Drizella," she sneered at Anastasia. "Gold digger," she glowered at Cinderella. As she walked out, she turned her nose up and followed her eldest daughter out of her youngest daughter's home. They heard the door slam shut a moment later, leaving the two women alone.

"Hag," they said simultaneously. They each stated at each other with a raised eyebrow.

"Drizella?" Cinderella asked, at the same time revealing who she meant that toward.

"Mom," Anastasia disclosed. "So you really want give Dizzy a better life? Or are you just trying to stick it to Driz?"

"Better life," Cinderella told her. "You said it yourself, she'll –"

"I said what did to make them leave," Anastasia cut her off. "After all, one can only take so much of those two. They're so bitter," Anastasia tried snidely. "Truth be told, I'm still not sure I want to let you take Dizzy."

"Weren't you the one who said she'll get eaten alive if she stays here? That she's too nice for this place?"

Anastasia stared at her step-sister, an appreciative smirk on her lips. She was mildly impressed to see Cinderella using her own words against her. That, and just seeing her here on the Isle, it proved that she was taking this seriously, not just phoning it in and making King Ben have Dizzy yanked away.

"I did say that. I've also said that that little girl is like a daughter to me. So you'll understand my reluctance to let her leave with someone whose own child acts like someone who was raised here," Anastasia confessed.

"I raised Chad to be a good person."

"And yet, you didn't dispute it when I compared him to my own son. A stuck up brat, despite being raised by someone who was supposed to the epitome of all that is good and humble and wholesome. You want me to let Dizzy leave with you, give me a reason to believe that she won't end up just like him – or worse, Sleeping Beauty's daughter."

Cinderella realized with that challenge that she'd been wrong all these years. Drizella _was_ the mean one. The one most likely to stab you in the back and walk over – or even on – you to get what she wants. But now she knew: Anastasia was the one you should fear. Where Drizella was just a bully acting with the approval of the person who probably bullied her and taught her to act the same way, Anastasia was the one who stepped back and waited. She wasn't going to waste her time trying to beat you down anymore; not when she could just cut you to size and into pieces by looking into you, and seeing what you tried to hide, and forcing you to acknowledge it.

The Isle hadn't mellowed her at all. It had made her more perceptive to motivations and drives, and gave her something that her mother and sister didn't really have and never truly would – real power over those around them. The Isle had made _her_ the most dangerous one in the family.

"I raised Chad to be a good person. I taught him to be proud of who he is. But what I didn't do, and this is my regret, I didn't tell him not to believe everyone else around him when they reminded him what a prince should be. I didn't stop them from filling his head with the trapping of privilege and power. I'm trying to break through to him, and bring back the good boy I raised. I can't guarantee that Dizzy might not be seduced by that. But I promise to try my hardest to protect her from it."

Anastasia just stared at Cinderella with a stern, unnerving glance. It made Cinderella almost call for the guards that had accompanied her here. Suddenly, Anastasia turned toward the back of the house.

"Dizzy, sweetie, can you come here?" she called.

"She's been here the whole time?" Cinderella asked in disbelief.

"You did here me say that she's here more than she's at her own house, right?" Anastasia smiled.

Out walked a girl that Cinderella realized was being under-hyped by Mal and Evie. Dizzy wasn't just adorable, she was flat out heartwarming to look at.

"Yeah, Aunt Ana?" Anastasia knelt down until she was level with her niece and proceeded to explain what had been going on that afternoon. Dizzy looked concerned at the thought of being taken away from the Isle, especially with a relative she'd never met.

"Now you know that Auntie Ana would never let anyone hurt you, right?" Dizzy nodded. "This is your Aunt Cinderella," she introduced. Cinderella watched as Anastasia turned toward her and smiled wickedly. "Until you're comfortable, you can just call her Cindy."

Dizzy nodded and turned to wave.

"Hi, honey," Cinderella said.

"You know how I've always said I'd find a way to get you off this island and into Auradon where you belong?" Dizzy nodded. "Well, I need you to go with Cindy when she goes back to Auradon. You're going to live with her and your cousin, and her husband," she told her, her voice going sardonic at the mention of Charming.

"Are you coming?"

Cinderella watched the way Anastasia flinched at the question. It broke her heart to know what was coming next.

"I…I can't come sweetie. This is where I have to stay. But I want you to promise me something," she asked the young girl, her voice breaking as she fought the urge to start crying. "No matter what happens, or what anybody tells you, you stay the same sweet, big dreaming girl you are. Can you do that for Auntie Ana?"

Dizzy nodded, tears running down her face as she realized this might be the last time she saw the woman who was more of a mother to her than her own mom.

"Okay, go pack you things. You won't need to worry too much about your stuff from your house, Cindy will make sure you get anything new you might need."

Dizzy nodded and walked back to where she came from; the room Anastasia had given her when she realized that Dizzy preferred staying here whenever she could. Once she was gone, Anastasia stood back up and walked over to Cinderella.

"If anything happens to that little girl, this island won't protect you from me. I'll find a way off it, and you and I will have…words," she warned her step-sister. Even though Anastasia had said it would be "words", Cinderella knew that talking would be the last thing that would happen.

"I'll protect her like she was own daughter," Cinderella said just before, in a showing of both approval and heartbreak, Anastasia collapsed into Cinderella's shoulder and began crying at the thought of losing what she'd come to think of as her own little girl.

* * *

Chad was lying on his bed, listening to his phone ring as he waited for his mother to answer. It was late in the evening on a Friday. School was done for the day. So was practice. And so was dinner. His day was done. He planned to do some homework later, but he wanted to catch up with some things back home, namely the castle's newest resident.

It had been almost a month since his mother had brought Dizzy home from the Isle, and less than one month away from his grounding being officially over. While he still wasn't allowed any other electronics, his mother and father did allow him his phone back because, much to their surprise, upon their meeting, Chad and Dizzy completely hit it off. Dizzy said that Chad reminded her of a "less mean Anthony" and Chad, well, even Cinderella knew that deep down, whether he'd admit it or not, Chad was a natural born big brother and he constantly called to see how she was doing.

"Chad, how are you, honey?"

"I'm good – bored – but good," he told her.

"I know, sweetie, but you only have one month to go. You're a big boy, you can take it," she joked with him. "Am I guessing you're calling about…?"

"How's Dizzy?" he smiled.

His mother didn't answer right away. In fact, she was silent for longer than Chad liked.

"Mom?"

"She's not okay, Chad." No, he thought, what happened. Immediately the worst case scenarios started running through his head.

"What's wrong?"

"She came home from school crying again."

"Are the kids at school still…?"

"Yeah," he heard his mother answer. The sound of sadness in her voice was crushing to him.

"Can I talk to her?" he asked.

"Sure."

The line was silent, but he could hear his mother walking through the castle. He figured that she must be in one of the libraries or family rooms because she probably wouldn't want to be too far away in case Dizzy needed her.

"Dizzy, sweetheart, it's Chad," he heard his mother say, her voice sounding like the phone was away from herself. "He wants to talk to you."

"Chad?" he heard a small, sad voice say seconds later. She wasn't crying at the moment, but it was clear that she had been, her voice sounding muffled like she was doing her best to hold back tears.

"Hey, Diz," he said softly. "Mom says you were crying?"

"The kids at school are mean. They keep making fun me because of how I dress, and saying that I'm bad because –"

"Because you're from the Isle." Chad finished for her. He heard her sob a "un-huh" before beginning to sob. Each sob he heard made Chad want to smack each of the little kids that made fun of her. "Diz, you still there?"

"Mhm."

"I don't want you to listen to the other kids, okay? You're not bad, and there's nothing wrong with how you dress. Just ignore them and keep acting like you do, okay?" He heard Dizzy muffle a yes. "Can you put my Mom back on?"

"Yes, Chad?" his mother said a second later.

"I hope you raised hell down at that school of hers," he practically barked down the phone.

"First off, don't raise your voice at me, I'm not the one who made her cry. Secondly, yes, I did. But short of talking to their parents, there's really not a lot the school can do since no one is hurting her."

"No one's hurting her? This is like the tenth time those brats have made her come home crying. I mean who the hell do they think they are? Making fun of her just because…"

His voice trailed off. Maybe it was having to see the situation from the outside. Or maybe it was seeing someone he was quickly becoming close to being made to feel like they didn't belong. But something suddenly clicked. Some sense of conscious or morality that something was really wrong and he, maybe not here, but in the same vein, was part of the problem.

"Chad?" he heard his mother say when she became worried when he didn't say anything else.

"I'm gonna call you back, Mom," he said hanging up.

* * *

The VKs were hanging out in the common room of their dorm hall. They had just come back from dinner and were trying to decide what to do later that night. Joining them were Ben, Doug, and Jane. Jay was waiting on Lonnie to show up so he didn't feel like sixth wheel amongst the other couples. He kept eyeing the door and almost stood up when he saw Chad walk in.

"Oh God," Evie said in mild disgust. "What do you want Chad?"

"Good all three of you are here," he said.

"What?" Mal asked confused.

Chad didn't answer right away. Instead he just stood there, his gaze going from Mal to Evie to Jay and back.

"Spit it out, Chad," Jay ordered him.

"I'm…I'm sorry," he said softly. All three of his targets, plus Carlos and the AKs just stared at him, caught off guard.

"Sorry?" Evie finally asked.

"For what I did on Family Day to you three. I'm sorry. And Evie…I am so, so sorry for hitting you. I shouldn't have done that."

"Practically months after and you finally say sorry?" Mal inquired. "And we're just supposed to what, forgive you?"

"No," he answered quickly. "But I needed to say it because…I shouldn't have put your through that. And I need _your_ help," he said to Evie and Mal, motioning them over to where he was standing. After waving Jay down, they walked over to him. The others watched as he whispered to them, and then watched as seconds later Evie covered her mouth in horror and then they nodded.

"We've gotta go," Evie said quickly kissing Doug.

"Go where?" Jay asked apprehensively.

"Chad's house," Mal answered kissing Ben. "We'll tell you later. Jane, you're coming too."

"Okay," Jane said cautiously before following Chad, Evie, and Mal out.

* * *

"Dizzy, sweetheart," Cinderella said as she gently knocked on Dizzy's door. "I just wanted to see if you're feeling better?"

Dizzy was lying one her bed and looked up from the book she was reading. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still puffy from all of the earlier tears. "A little Aunt Cindy."

"Someone's here to see you," Cinderella told her niece. Dizzy turned toward the door, and Cinderella watched her smile for the first time since she'd gotten home.

"Chad!" she jumped from the bed, giving him a hug as he walked in the room. Cinderella turned to the hallway and saw the look on Evie, Mal, and Jane's faces at the sound of Dizzy's reaction. She nodded her head proudly when she saw Evie mouth the word "Really".

"Hey Diz, how you feeling?" he asked her as he picked her up and sat her on the bed. He sat next to her and put his arm around her.

"Fine…I guess. But Aunt Cindy says I have to go back to school on Monday," she said dejectedly with a look toward Cinderella.

Chad chuckled. "Yeah, well, you need to go to school," he told her.

"But they hate me," she said loudly.

"They just need to get to know you, sweetheart," Cinderella told the young girl.

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "They just need to get to know you, and pretty soon, you'll start making friends there. Until then, I brought you some friends you already have," he comforted her.

"All the friends I have are back on the Isle," she cleared up for him.

Chad shook his head. "Not all of them," he corrected him. He turned toward the door. "Come on in."

Dizzy looked at the door and her eyes lit up when she saw two familiar faces walk in. "Evie! Mal!" she screamed as she ran to the two older VKs. "I missed you guys," she said as she threw her arms around both of them.

"Oh, we missed you too, Dizzy," Evie said as she hugged the young girl to her.

'Definitely," Mal added.

"You I don't know," Dizzy told Jane as released her hold on Mal and Evie.

The girls laughed and pulled her toward Jane. "Dizzy, this is Jane," Evie introduced. "Jane this is –"

" _The_ Jane?" Dizzy said in surprise. "Cool. I'm a big fan."

"What do you mean _The Jane_?" Mal asked skeptically.

"And that you're a fan?" Evie asked.

"Jane's a little bit of a role model for some of the villain kids on the Isle since she broke open the barrier after stealing her mother's wand," Dizzy explained. "A lot of us started looking up to her after she tried to break us out."

Mal and Evie started laughing hysterically at that news and even Cinderella couldn't hold back some laughter at the way Jane looked completely horrified at that news. Chad wanted to laugh, but figured that later would be better for that.

"Hear that Janey," Cinderella started, "you're a hero to an entire Island."

Evie and Mal broke out laughing even harder.

"But I…I didn't…I wasn't _trying_ to break anybody out," she stammered embarrassingly. "Can we please not tell my mother about this?"

"Why are you all here?" Dizzy asked, changing the subject. She had finally noticed that all three of them had backpacks and sleeping bags.

"Well," Evie began, "Chad told us that you were having a rough time right now, and thought that maybe a surprise slumber party weekend might cheer you up."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes once again lighting up. She ran over to Chad and threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she gushed. Once she released him, she started looking around. Her new room here at the castle was pretty big, way bigger than the room she had her mother's or her aunt's. "Do you think we'll all fit in here?"

"Why don't you all go into one of the family rooms," Cinderella suggested. "Jane, you remember where most of them are, right?"

"Yes, ma'am Aunt Cindy," Jane said, surprising everyone with her name for Cinderella. "What? I spent _a lot_ of time here growing up," Jane clarified as she started leading the other three girls out.

Once they were gone, and Cinderella and Chad were alone, she smiled at her son. "This was a nice surprise for her," she told him.

"I couldn't stand the thought of her being so unhappy," he said.

Cinderella felt a swell of emotion hit her. This was the Chad she loved to see. The Chad that took care of those closest to him. It was almost like seeing him with Jane as they were growing up when she'd cry and he'd practically come to the rescue, not stopping until he'd cheered her back up.

"See, I told you that you didn't hate them just because of where they're from."

"I told Evie, Mal, and Jay that I was sorry," he confessed.

"Really?" Cinderella asked, her heart warming at that reveal.

Chad nodded. "Maybe it was hearing from Dizzy how she was getting bullied, and seeing it from the outside, like you did with me, but…I don't know. Something just clicked and everything you were telling me just made sense and I felt horrible. I still won't say we're friends at the moment, but you don't have to worry about me going after them anymore, Mom."

Cinderella felt her eyes water and she fought the urge to cry tears of joy. She cradled her son's face and blinked away the tears. "Now there's the sweet boy I raised."

The End


End file.
